Loose Change
by Rosethorn2
Summary: They say change is wonderful-that you should embrace it. I don't know about that, but here at the tenth school I've transferred to, I definately met a change that I can live with. His name? Yagami Taichi. -Motomiya Daisuke. AU, Shounen ai
1. Pennies On the Dollar

**Notes:** It had to be done. I just _had_ to write a first-person story where it contained side-bar monologues and everything. I just had to do it.

Also, I'm giving y'all and age and name list here. I'm only doing it once. Keep in mind that I may still use some of the dub names at nicknames (have Tai and all them call Hikari "'Kari" or Takeru "T.K."—or in Dai's case T.P., etc.)

Jyou – Joe – 19

Taichi – Tai (Tye) – 17  
Mimi – Mimi – 17  
Sora – Sora – 17  
Jun – June – 17  
Yamato – Matt – 17

Miyako – Yoli – 16  
Koushirou – Izzy – 16  
Ken – Ken – 16

Daisuke – Davis – 15  
Takeru – T.K. – 15  
Hikari – Kari – 15

Iori – Cody – 14

**Warnings:** AU, Japanese names (does that require a warning?) mild cursing (it's high school, y'all…there's gonna be cursing), shounen ai, shoujo ai

**Pairings:** Taisuke (Yagami Taichi Motomiya Daisuke), Junato (Motomiya Jun Ishida Yamato), possibly others…

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it.

Loose Change  
By Rosethorn

Chapter 1: Pennies on the Dollar

They say that change is a good thing and that one should "embrace change". All I know is that change has led me to this: _another_ damn school, and from the looks of it, a stuffy school at that. I exchange a wry look with my sister, Jun.

"Ready, Dai?" she asks, gesturing to the rather forbidding stairs in front of us. Did I mention that I really didn't want to be here? I sigh.

"Might as well get it over with, ne?" She grimaces and I nod in sympathy. I've always hated school. Probably stems from the whole "popular kid" stigma that's everywhere. And I'll tell you, those "popular" kids are the most stuck-up, cruel, and obnoxious things on the face of this planet. Right up there with broccoli. Ugh. Speaking of broccoli, I'm starting to notice that I've taken on a slightly green tinge as of late…maybe Jun's feeding too much of the dastardly, green vegetable…

"That's a fine attitude," the sister in question teases, causing me to look up.

"Not my fault you like broccoli so much!" I exclaim. And it's not—my fault, that is. She raises an eyebrow. "Look at my skin, Jun! It's _green_!" She raises an eyebrow.

"I was referring to the school." Oh.

"Oh. Well…" I begin, glaring at her as she begins laughing while we head for the stairs. "_How_ many schools have we gone to now?" She stops laughing, but is still grinning. Yeah yeah, I know; I'm just a laughing riot. Geez. No respect.

"Ten so far, but hey, who's counting!" She winks. Still doesn't make up for the laughing, Jun. Got to work harder. Ok, the gagging noises towards the really sucky paint job will spare you the rest of my wrath.

As we enter the main hallway—where said sucky paint job is—some of the students walking (back to their classes, I'm assuming) stop and stare at us. Joy. I love feeling like I'm the main attraction at a damn zoo. Favorite thing in the world. Hey, you know, we're this thing called "individuals"—and we're not exactly shy about it. Take Jun's outfit for example: tight, black leather pants, over-sized blue dragon button-down shirt (from the _guys_ section of the store no less! The horrors!), and her hair let loose in all it's big, frizzy goodness. My outfit is a bit more tame…mainly because I forgot to do laundry last night. It's also a bit more…sporty? (Is that a word? Well, if it wasn't before, it is now.) Loose jeans (no, not the ones that hang off your ass so you can see the other person's boxers), tight, black shirt with an open button-down black top—though it's a bit hard to tell that it's black 'cause I painted it all over with red flames. To totally throw off the actual normal outfit, I have my spiky red-brown hair and my trademark soccer goggles along with my lucky sneakers. Nice, huh?

As cool as we look, there is one slight problem we both notice right off the bat: every other kid there is wearing a uniform. Great. As if we aren't freaks enough transferring in during the last two months of the year. Now we're freaks in different outfits (though cool-looking outfits, and I will personally beat the crap out of anyone who says differently).

"Oh, yeah," I mutter under my breath, mainly for Jun's benefit. "We'll fit right in." She glances in my direction, but refrains from commenting. I think that her thought patterns very much resemble mine on this one. I sigh and plaster a smile on my face. I love to be here! I love to be here! Can I go hurl now? I love to be here!

We both go to the office to get our schedules (and our uniforms too, most likely). When we get there, the office staff decides to treat us to their sterling personalities. Glares and all. Goody. Too bad Jun didn't have her tarot deck out. Then they'd _really_ freak.

Say what? Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. You _so_ do not say that about me and my sister. I am so—like hell, Jun! Like _hell_ I'm going to leave this alone! Yeah, I know it'd be on the first day. I don't care! Fine, fine. I'll let it drop. Yeah, love you too. I decide for settling for glaring back at the bitch who said that we looked like druggies. Jun nudges me in the side. What? I'm not stabbing her with a pen, ne? Take what you can get.

As we make our way into the headmaster's office, I learn that our headmaster is actually a head_mistress_. I wish people would update me on these things a bit sooner than last-minute. I plaster a big smile on my face. All in all, the woman's rather cool about the whole uniform thing and the transfer. She's fairly nice actually. Wonder how long she'll last…

We exit her office, and I catch sight of a blonde guy with a hat. I swear to God that it looks like the hat Gilligan wore on the island! Dude! That is so…_stupid_. I'm standing here trying not to laugh!

"Well, squirt," Jun says, effectively distracting me from "Gil". "This is where you and I part ways. Good luck!" She turns, then pauses. "Oh, and Dai? Try not to get detention first day, will you?" She walks down the hall away from me. Gee…I feel so loved now. Try not to get detention today indeed. It's not _my_ fault my teachers have _no_ sense of humor! Ah well…might as well see what I have.

Japanese history with Vee-sensei. Room 203. Right. Now where is that on this map? Ah, I see Murphy's law is still in effect. There _is_ no room "203" on this map. Great. "Just my luck," I mutter, trying very hard not to curse. I do want to be on my best behavior and all that…

"Hey, kid, you lost?" No, stupid, I just like standing around for the hell of—Oh…dear…God…Am I drooling? No? Good. I have a vision standing here in front of me. Please say that it's not my imagination playing tricks on me again. It likes to do that. I think I'll just content myself with staring at the moment, so when my mind decides to go back to normal, I can remember something for my fantasies…

He's tall, taller than me in any rate…which really isn't saying much come to think of it, 'cause I'm a bit on the short side. And his hair! My God, it makes mine look _tame_. It almost makes _Jun's_ look tame! Well-muscled…very well-muscled. You can see them ripple a little bit underneath the uniform. Nice eye candy. Moving on up, he's got these really warm eyes that are every shade of brown I can think of. Then there's that smile…Yes, I would like one of those. Do they come gift-wrapped?

"Um…hello?" Oops. I think my staring's starting to unnerve him…

Okay, Dai. Think. Form words…yes, words. Those things that you use to communicate with.

"Mrhpbgmg" Damn. Let's try this again. "Um…" Okay, a bit better, but still not anywhere's _near_ communication level.

"Anyone one home?" A pair of fingers snapping in front of my face help jolt me out of my—albeit pleasant—haze.

"Ah, yes, right. I'm lost…" Damn, I can feel myself blushing. Wonderful. Don't know if the guy's gay or bi or whatever and I'm blushing. Of course. Can my day get any—wait. I'm not going to finish that thought. "I'm trying to find room 203," I finally manage. Whole words, I _am_ impressed with myself. Wait a minute. Repeat what you just said mentally. He's laughing. He's not supposed to laugh. Nice eye candy is not supposed to laugh, dammit! Oh good, he stopped. He must have noticed my fiery glare of doom.

"Sorry, but they've _never_ managed to put Vee's classroom on that map. Here, I'll show you the way," he says cheerfully and…oh my God, he grabbed my hand! He's touching me! And now I've moved into the teenage girl phase of my delusions. Glad to know that I'm as pathetic as always…Ugh. Good thing I'm in shape too. He's damn near _running_ down these halls!

"I'm Yagami Taichi, by the way," he says as we sprint our way to my class. "You are…?" Single? Yours? Wait—he wants a name.

"Motomiya Daisuke," I manage to say, thankfully without stuttering. "Call me whatever you want as long as it's polite," slips out right on the heels of my first statement. Hello, mouth. Meet foot. I'm such a moron sometimes.

"So 'hey, knothead' is out, I take it," he drawls, winking at me. I will not melt. I will not melt. I will _not_ melt, dammit!

"Only if you want a few bruises," I shoot back. Glad my instinctive "can't shut up to save my life" mouth still works. One of the few times I'm glad it works actually. He's laughing now. I love his laugh. It's really, really warm and makes you all bubbly inside. Not to mention it makes you want to laugh with him.

"Well, here we are," he says finally, and is it my imagination, or does he sound a bit breathless. Wait, we just about ran our asses off to get here, never mind. Uh oh. What if he's in my _class_! I'd never be able to concentrate! I wouldn't be able to even catch up on my sleep! For all that's holy, please don't be in my class.

"So, this your stop as well?" And "Motormouth Motomiya" does it again, ladies and gentlemen. I can't win, I swear. But he's smiling.

"Nah, I don't have Vee anymore. He's mostly the freshmen and sophomore instructor." A pause. "He _does_ teach one elective though. 'Introduction to stage'. It's a class about how to work the stage behind the scenes, and it naturally works together with the drama club."

"Of course," I hear myself murmur intelligently. Oh yeah, my powers of eloquence just astound me sometimes…Sometimes I really hate the fact that my brain and mouth have absolutely _no_ filter between them. Uh oh, now he's shifting from foot to foot. Joy, I'm already boring the living daylights out of him. I should be so lucky.

"Hey, look…Motomiya, right?" he asks somewhat shyly. Hell, skip Motomiya _and _Daisuke and just start calling me "yours". Though I don't think that'd go over well…

"Yeah?" Oh, now he's turning a bit pink. This is somewhat fun!

"Er…Do you have anyone to eat lunch with today? I mean, since you're new and all, I wouldn't want you to be all on your own and—"

"Yagami-san," I finally break in. I know what it's like when you start rambling and you just can't stop. It's really embarrassing and you feel like the floor needs to open up and swallow you whole and then it doesn't so you're left standing there and—ahem. In any rate, I'll spare him the embarrassment. "I'd like to have lunch with you. My sister is here too, if you don't mind her coming along." His eyebrow rises.

"Sure, as long as you start calling me Taichi. Yagami-san makes me feel like I'm in a class somewhere." We both laugh.

"Fair enough then, Taichi-san. Then you've got to call me 'Daisuke' at the very least," I say and—dear Lord, I just winked. At him. And now he looks confused. Shit, this isn't my day. To make it even more fun, the bell just went off. Now I'm late for my first class on my first day. Wonderful. So much for promising Jun that I wouldn't get detention the first day.

"Hey, Tai-kun?" a voice says from the doorway. I jump about five feet in the air and whirl around—while Taichi laughs at me of course. "Oi, Taichi…quit laughing. I remember when I managed to spook you that one time. You know, when you accidentally—"

"Yes, Vee-sensei, I remember!" the brunette yelps and promptly stammers out that he needs to go to class. There soon is only a puff of dust where he once stood. It was all rather hilarious.

"Thanks," I say to—wait a minute. That's _Vee-sensei_! "You're Vee-sensei?" Great, Motomiya. Really intelligent there. Didn't Taichi-san _call_ him "Vee-sensei"? Duh! Well, he seems to be taking it in stride in any rate.

"Yeah. I know I'm not your typical teacher…but let it be said that you don't look like a typical student either," he says, one eyebrow raised. I flush. I know I shouldn't have said anything…particularly after my bitching earlier about being stared at 'cause _I_ looked different. I hate being caught being hypocritical.

"Er…Sorry about that, sensei." He laughs. It's a nice laugh, but it's not as nice as Taichi's. I can still hear Taichi laughing—dammit! Will not melt. Will not melt.

"It's ok. Come on in." I follow him inside the classroom and notice that I'm the only one there. Did I go to the wrong classroom already or—

"My class isn't overly popular," Vee-sensei says dryly. I look up at him, an eyebrow raised. "Most of the students in this class skip or are extremely late. Not to mention that I have a small class to begin with. Including you, there are about 15 students, seven of which that are currently out sick, two in the hospital due to a rather large fight, and the rest either are no-shows or come in right about…now." Sure enough, the door opens and in walks three girls, all of them giggling. I hear Vee-sensei sigh.

"Haven't I made it abundantly clear that this class _does_ start at the normal time, _not_ when you decide to drift in?" The trio of girls nod—at the same time. They probably share a brain between them. They're acting like it at least. "And haven't I also made clear what the consequences of tardiness is?" They again, all nod in unison. Creepy. "Well then. Detention. For all of you. One day for every minute you were late." Damn, this guy's _strict_. Must be the only way he can get any discipline in here. But…five days of detention? What if you have a really good excuse?

"But, Vee-sensei," one of the pod—I'm going to start referring to them as the "pod", I think—protests. "We had a major fashion emergency that needed to be taken care of!" Vee-sensei nods sympathetically.

"I know how horrible those are, Fukami-san. However, you still need to come to class." The pod is about to protest further when two others walk in the door. One catches my eye in particular, as he carries himself similar to me. His whole attitude screams "I honestly don't give a damn. Mess with me and die." I can hear Vee-sensei sigh again. I wonder if he'll soon be sighing that way over me.

"Ishida-san," he says tiredly, and I watching as he begins to massage his temples. I do believe he's starting to twitch. "Remember that you've repeated this class once already. Try to make it on time so that you don't have to repeat it _again_." Ishida merely snorts derisively and pulls out his spiral. Huh. I thought I was the only to do that these days. Now I can't be the class goof-off in a class _full_ of goof-offs. Not fair, that. What am I supposed to excel at _now_?

"For those of you who are here—and hopefully paying attention, this—" Vee-sensei pushes me forward. "—is Motomiya Daisuke." I just do a peace sign and call it good. Besides all of the rest of them really don't care, or at least, don't give the impression to. From watching Vee-sensei, I think he was given the short end of the stick here. But I'll refrain from judgment until after I've been here a month.

"Okay, guys, girls, vegetables, pull out your textbooks and your homework from last night—yes, Minohara-san, you were required to do it." I snicker softly as one of the pod pouts. I do believe I'm going to like this class.

oOOo()oOOo

That's all for now. I hope that it's a fairly decent beginning to the story…Feedback in encouraged, but I don't hold chapters hostage if I don't get any…

Cheers!

Rosethorn


	2. Brother, Can Ya Spare Me a Dime?

**Notes: **Yes, she lives! Well, kinda. Anyways, I'm alive. I'm trying to move out of non-updating-ness, but I make absolutely _no_ promises. Every time I do, things shift sideways. Oh, and for those who were wondering, Daisuke is a blend of two people: me and one of my best friends.

Please note that review thank yous are, as always, at the end of the chapter.

**Warnings: **Guy-guy romantic-y-ness, some crude humour (mild), cursing...(same stuff that was on the last warning)

**Pairings:** Taisuke, others later if I get around to it

**Disclaimer:** Don't own it.

**Dedication:** I would like to dedicate this chapter to Lena, who suffers through my attempts at writing, without complaint and with much threatening when I don't write for a bit. This one's for you, girl!

Loose Change  
By Rosethorn

Chapter 2: Brother, Can Ya Spare Me a Dime?

Well, after managing to survive four of my classes (out of seven), I'm now making my way towards what is marked on my map as the "Cafeteria". Granted, I've already learned that this map of mine is defective. Most of the numbers that my classes take place in don't exist on this thing. I think I got the copy from the 70's or something. In any rate, I've already managed to get detention today purely because I've been late for every single one of my classes so far—and the teachers were less than understanding. It's getting a bit old really. I mean, it's one thing if—I think I just spotted Taichi. Now to follow up on it.

"Taichi-san?" He turns and—dammit! I'm melting again… What am I? Made of chocolate or something? Sheesh! Can't look at decent eye-candy without melting. I'm so screwed.

"Daisuke-kun!" he exclaims and once again—you guessed it—I'm melting. Of course. Note to self: find some anti-melt clothes…somewhere… Do they even _make_ anti-melt clothes? They totally should. I mean, I'd buy them, and I'm sure other people would and…Taichi's looking at me funny. Crap. "Daisuke." Oooooo. A wavy blur in front of my face, which I think is his hand. Fun.

"Move your appendage before I bite it." And that totally wasn't what I meant to say. Really. But hey, he's laughing! Yes! Houston, we have liftoff!

"Fair enough." He's giving me a really nice grin. Mmmmm, Dai-goo all over the floor. Yep. Wait, he's talking. Bad Dai! Pay attention. Something about the cafeteria being the…if doesn't _that_ just figure. It's in the opposite direction from where I was headed. Of course it is! Because, as I've said before, I've got the map from hell! So now I'm just going to follow him to wherever the hell we're going because at this point? I don't have a clue.

"So do they always give the new students f'd-up maps, or am I just one of the blessed?" More snickering.

"Nah, I think that the office assistant was paying more attention to the secretary's bust than what year of map they were photocopying." And I really didn't want to think about that. Ick. Girl-parts. They're just…wrong. On so many levels. Yeah, yeah, I know I need to grow up, but still! They're…bumpy and soft and squishy and…ick! I know that some people really dig them an all, but I ain't one of them.

"Thanks for sharing, Taichi-san. I think I can go die now that my life has been utterly completed." Or utterly scarred. Take your pick.

"Eh, I think you should stick around longer. Might be a few more awkward moments you've missed." And he's smirking. Of course he's smirking. And why is he smirking? Because I'm totally the most clueless person on the planet. Uh huh. Right. Just ask Jun—actually, don't ask Jun. I owe her money.

"Gee, just what I always wanted," I drawled, arching an eyebrow at the map—mainly because I couldn't look at "his sexiness" without wanting to drool or melt. This is starting to bug me. I need to pull it together here. Right. Cool, calm, collected. Coolest thing ev—

"TAI!!" Ow. I think my left eardrum is sitting with my right eardrum out of sheer fright now. Ow. Pain. Who the hell?!

"Hey, Mimi." And now Tai is talking to a girl who is made of bubble-gum cotton candy, I swear to God. I mean, _her **hair **is freakin' PINK_, man! PINK!! In case you haven't noticed, I don't do pink. Ever. And this girl is wearing that with a pink hat, pink lip gloss, pink shoes…You get the idea?

"Daisuke…Hello? We seem to be having technical issues here, ladies and gentlemen." I can hear puff-ball there giggling. Probably his girlfriend. I mean, wouldn't that figure?

"Wave that hand in front of my face just one more time…" And I do believe he's looking nervous. Heh. Score one for the new freak on the block! And Princess Pink over there is now looking at me with something akin to awe. Which frightens me. A lot. I shouldn't be someone to inspire awe. I'm only five foot five for God's sake! What am I supposed to do? Gnaw on someone's knees until they're eye level?

"I think I'm going to like your new friend, Tai," says the Pinkness. Yes, I know I'm not being really charitable here, but c'mon. She looks like she's lived in a Barbie box for most of her life _and_ she's standing next to my eye-candy! I'm allowed to be a bit uncharitable! And now she's coming closer…and God, she _smells_ pink! How the hell do you manage to smell pink? I mean, is it a new brand released at Victoria's Secret or something? "And he's so _cute_!!" Again with the squeals. Pain. I think my brain is now bleeding somewhere. Huh…always wondered what internal hemorrhaging felt like.

"Uh…Mimi? I think you're scaring him." And in comes my knight in—oh, who am I kidding—in his rumpled uniform. Well, at least I have a name for Pepto-Girl over here. Who is now touching me. Great. I now have cooties, along with my aneurism. And people say school is there to help us mature into our "future selves."

"Could you, like, let go. Please," I finally manage to get out. And I'm trying to be polite here. I really am. I just hate people touching me; it's that whole "personal bubble" thing.

"Oh, gosh! I'm so sorry!" She's letting me go and stepping back a few steps, which makes me feel less like I'm about to get mauled by Malibu Barbie.

"Daisuke! Where the hell have you _been_?! I have been looking all over this God-forsaken campus looking for your sorry hide!" And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my loving, devoted sister. I turn around so as to meet my fate with courage and dignity. Sure enough, there's Jun, the fiery angel of retribution, running like a steam engine right towards me. Tai is now grabbing my arm as if to pull me out of her way, and I pity him and his blissful ignorance. You do not just "sidestep" Motomiya Jun. That just gets you dismembered slowly instead of just chopping off your head. You think I'm joking. The last time I heard that tone in her voice and I didn't face her head-on, I was sporting a Gay Pride flag for my hair. I still don't know how she managed to dye it while I was sleeping, but there you go. My theory is that she's sold her soul to a ninja to have the sneaky abilities. Or maybe it's just a skill learned at the secret "older sisters torture society."

"Eh…hi…Jun…" And really, that's all you can say in this circumstance. She's now fixing me with her patented I Am _VERY_ Unhappy With You look. I think she learned it from Mom before my parents split. It was, like, Mom's parting gift or something. Dad and I still haven't been able to figure it out.

"Don't you 'Hi, Jun' me you—" she's beginning to foam at the mouth. I know I should be running for my life here, but it's like watching a train wreck. You just can't pull your eyes or body away.

"Oh. My. _GOD_!!" Pinky shrills, running over to Jun, which frightens my normally fearless sister into stunned silence. I personally think it's all that pink. "I remember you from my second period Lit class! I sit two seats over to the left of you. Your comments on _The Great Gatsby_ were so inspired!" I take note of Jun's slightly shell-shocked expression and try not to snicker. She was distracted from her vendetta of torture against me, so I wasn't about to draw attention back to myself. It would appear that Her Pinkness has redeemed herself in my eyes however. She has spared me of Jun's Almighty Wrath, and for such a large boon, I will grant her the honor of: ignoring the pink and being nicer. From henceforth, she shall be known as Mimi.

…What? Didn't you play Dungeons and Dragons when you were a kid?

"Mimi's a writer," I hear Tai whisper into my ear. Well, I kinda hear. I was busy trying not to shiver in delight. Yeah. My ears? They're really sensitive. So little puffs of air from someone like Tai? Melty-ness. Again. "She tends to get tired of reading all the boring books in Lit classes though, and she loves it whenever anyone challenges the norm." Huh. So Mimi, who looks so clean she squeaks, is a rebel. Cool.

"Then I do believe my sister has made a new friend," I reply, trying to ignore the fact that Tai is almost touching me. I can feel the warmth off his body and it's making me feel like swooning. Which is _so_ Harlequin novel-ish of me. I need to quit swiping Jun's stash, but they're some kind of addictive drug. You know, like soap operas. One hit and you keep coming back for your fix. In my case, it's really lame romance novels and B-rated horror movies. Or _Dogma_, because let's face it: _Dogma_ fucking rocks.

"She's against the man too, eh?" I nod absently, watching as Jun's face goes from shell-shocked to surprised, and then to totally stoked. She rarely finds people that can carry on a semblance of decent conversation when it comes to "classic literature." She tends to go into raptures when one such individual presents themselves. Oh yes, if Mimi had a few things extra south of the border and few things less north, Jun would be already be planning the wedding. Soon the two girls are linking arms and walk right past us "ignorant males." I trade looks with Tai, for once completely bypassing his appeal. It's the universal guy complaint: women. We men understand that we will never understand women. The female mind works in too many twisty-turny ways.

"So…" I say finally, watching the pair turn a corner. "Lunch?" Tai nods and leads the way to the cafeteria. How I missed it is beyond me. The sheer noise factor should have clued me into where this high school Serengeti was. I've been to Def Leopard concerts quieter than this. Not to mention that I won't be getting food anytime soon. The line is around the perimeter of the damn caf!

"Hope you don't mind waiting for a few minutes," Tai drawls. I roll my eyes and make my way over to the end of the line. Why not wait until lunch is over until I get food. I've been late to all my classes today as it is. Late to one more isn't going to change much. Speaking of which, what the hell do I have next? C'mon, don't tell me I've lost it already! Okay, not that pocket, what about…nope. All right, then this…one…Aha! Say what? Introduction to computers?! Puh-leeze! I've been using a computer since I was three. This is going to suck. And gee, it's in yet another vanishing room. I wonder if this one only appears on the full moon. I seem to have that kind of luck. Or gee, maybe it'll be in the basement where I can die slowly of radon poisoning. Woo-freaking-hoo.

I hate this school.

"So do I, Dai." Jun again. She appears to be two ahead of us in line. Angling her body around the many people in the cafeteria, she decides to rescind her closer spot in favor of teasing me. Yay.

"Why do you hate it?" I snap back, somewhat peeved that any "bonding" time with Tai had been interrupted. Granted, not much was being said, but that's part of the bonding process. First is the greeting and introduction. Then is the part where the silent attunement and body language take place. Jun just might have set back my progress with Tai by a day…and yes, I realize that I am a very, very disturbed teenager.

"I'm reading _The Great Gatsby_, need I say more?" she replies, making a face. I can sympathize with that actually. First of all, Jun hates anything that is dubbed a "classic." Mainly because they're just boring and pointless to read. I figure that the brilliant minds who decided they were required reading hadn't been hugged by their moms enough. My lit class, for example, is forcing me to read _Great Expectations_. I don't have any. Great expectations that is. I actually have rather low expectations of this book. The only thing good that came from Dickens was that Christmas story he wrote with Rizzo and Gonzo in it. I mean, yeah, that's the movie version, but it was still good. And Jun's lips are moving, which means I just missed what was being said.

"Say what?" She rolls her eyes at me.

"I asked why you hated our new home away from home." Oh.

"Three words: Introduction to computers." She winces. Keep in mind that in my household, I'm the tech genius. If there is a computer problem, I am the one called. If there is an issue with the TV or the cable connection, it's Daisuke to the rescue. You can begin to understand why taking "computers for dummies" is a bit insulting.

"I remember that class," Tai muses, staring at a spot beyond my left shoulder. I wish he'd just stare at me sometimes. But no, my karma in the romance department is to be eternally ostracized from someone who would love me. I think I was a major playboy or something in my past life. Because seriously, no one could be as woefully inept in the romance department as I am. I once asked out my best friend because he was giving off those "more than friends" signals. Turns out that he was crushing on Jun. I was a good substitute. Go me. Though I've had fun teasing him about it ever since. Especially since he can be a major prude sometimes.

See, this one time we walked past a Victoria's Secret and, being the curious person that I am, I hauled him inside to see what all the hype was about. Ten minutes later, I'm holding up two different teddies, asking him which one he thought would better on me. To this day, all I have to do is bring up the name Victoria's Secret, and he turns bright red. And say what? Tai's waving his hand in front of my face again.

"You know, he does bite," Jun comments, as though this was a perfectly normal occurrence. Well, maybe for her it is. Hey, no one said our family life was anything near "average."

"He's warned me. I figured I'll take my chances."

"Brave man. Last time someone did that, they lost an ankle," Jun replies solemnly. I glare around at the caf because really, what else could I do? Both of them are taller than me, and as I've previously stated, a glare of death at their knees isn't going to inspire much fear.

"So, computer class," I grit out, changing the subject. "What do you remember about it."

"Oh, I just remember the first week was really boring. We spent two days alone on how to turn on the computer and shut it down safely." Oh this is _so_ not fair.

"I'm afraid to ask what else you did the rest of the week…" And again, I have this "train wreck" scenario playing around in my head. It's not a really inspiring sight, let me tell you.

"We worked on how to open up Word and save a document."

…I'm doomed.

* * *

That's all for this installment, folks! Hope it was as good as chapter 1.

Cheers!

Rosethorn

**Thank You's:**

**Lavender Feline:** Thanks!! I love Taisuke, and it's a sadly under-represented section of Digimon fanfiction. I've had that ML bookmarked for a while. I think I have the website bookmarked…

**Prince Izzy X:** Thanks! Re the hats: you're talking to a die-hard mad hatter. I love hats. Even bucket hats—and even though I look awful in them. As for Ken, I'm not sure who he's going to end up with, but it will most likely be a girl. I don't like fanfiction where they make _all_ the characters gay. It takes away from the reality of how diverse relationships can be.

**mikazuki****-san****:** Thanks!! I'm glad you enjoy this style. It's a trial run on inner monologues actually.

**lazy**** person:** Thanks! I'm trying to make one of those stories that's still a good romance without losing that comedic edge. Thanks for putting me on the Author Alert. It means a lot.

**…:** Thanks!!

**Calm Soul:** Thanks! Hope this chapter lives up to the standard the previous one set.

**RESCUExMe****:** Thanks!! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

**Shadow Eclipse:** Thanks!

**daisuke****-fan****:** Thanks!! Yay taisuke-ness!

**strawberry**** buttercup: **Thanks! I've been making him a rather hyper-active teenager who can be a bit obsessive about some things. I just don't want him too girly, ya know?

**Sora Blade707:** Thanks!! I think that's one of the best compliments that you can give a writer. That their work sounds original. It's always somewhat hard to hear "Hey! This sounds like something I read when " So thank you for the high praise. I hope that this chapter has lived up to your expectations.

**Nano**** Alphonse:** Thanks! My goal when writing fanfiction is to evoke the emotions I'm striving for in the people that will be reading it. Since I'm making a comedy and you're smiling, I've succeeded. Thanks again.


	3. Shiny New Nickel

**Notes: **I'm noticing a slight inconsistency with the honorifics here. I'm actually debating dropping the use of them altogether. Feedback on the issue would be appreciated. Also, not sure if soccer games (I call them matches here—but then, I'm an odd fish), are called "games" unilaterally or not. Since this is _supposed_ to be set in some sort of Japanese style school, I'd like to know.

Please note that all review responses and thanks are at the end of the fic.

**Warnings:** _AU!!!!_ Beyond that, please read previous chapters.

**Pairings: **Still Taisuke…

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Digimon.

**Dedication:** This chapter is dedicated to two people: Jen, without whom I would have stalled for even longer with no bunnies hopping about; and Lena, whose unfailing enthusiasm and kick-ass-ness helped push me the rest of the way.

Loose Change  
By Rosethorn

Chapter 3: Shiny New Quarter

Question: what's worse than the first day of school? The first _Monday_ of school. See, I started school on a Wednesday, and so now Monday's rolled around and here I stand, bleary-eyed and droop-tailed at the gates to my own, personal Hell. Not even the Goodness that is Tai will get me to be excited about the Unholiness which is Monday. To make matters worse, I just _know_ my Lit teacher's going to spring a pop quiz on _Great Expectations_ today. She's a sadist like that. It's a requirement—it's got to be! Right under "no sense of humour" and "must love all boring books." At least, that's how all Lit teachers _I've_ ever encountered have been.

So…yeah. Bell's ringing. Vee's class first thing…which really blows. Don't get me wrong, I really think Vee-sensei's the best teacher _ever_—which is the problem. Whenever I get this urge to fall asleep (y'know, like, every morning?), I feel really guilty for doing it in Vee's class. He doesn't say anything, or even seem to get mad. But he has this look of resignment that makes you feel like you've somehow just proven to him yet again how you're not "living up to your potential." Which wouldn't be so bad, mind you, if he was another stick-up-your-ass teacher. But Vee actually gives a damn, you know? He tries really hard to make our lives better.

Take last Friday, for example. He knew that there was this really big paper that some of us had caught from my Lit teacher (read: the Marquess de Sade), and so he said that if we didn't finish his assignment by today, he'd give us an extra day to get it in, no biggie. Which I'm really banking on, because that essay for Lit was awful. Forget hip-waders, I had to rent a _yacht_ for the bullshitting in this baby. And wow, if that wasn't the bell for classes to begin. Yay. So here I am, scampering for all that I'm worth down to my first class. And wouldn't you know it, there's Tai standing in the doorway, talking to Vee-sensei. While my attention span just increased, my grasp of basic language function just went the way of the dinosaur. I hate being in love.

Yeah love. Well, I guess in lust would be more accurate here, but c'mon! I like Tai for more than his body—which is a totally hot body, don't get me wrong! Over these last, er, four days…yeah. Who am I kidding? We'll just add "hopelessly obsessive" to the list of personality defects. I have this sudden urge to bang my head into something hard and metallic. Repeatedly. With much force. Oh look! A locker!

"Oi, Motomiya, that's my locker you're currently denting." And now I'm being glowered at by the only person other than Jun to scare me: Ishida Yamato. Rebel, recluse, bad-boy, and closet _My Little Pony _fan, if I'm not mistaken. Either that, or someone played a really nasty prank on his backpack—and I'm not brave or suicidal enough to ask. He's still glaring at me though, which is making me wonder if I accidentally spoke that last thought alo—oh. Right. Locker. Denting. I'll move out of the way now.

"Eh heh. Sorry about that, Ishida-san," I manage to get out, past that bubble of "Oh my God! He's gonna kill me~!!" that's surfacing quite rapidly in my throat. Luckily, he just grunts in my general vicinity and works the combination to his locker. And really, I should be backing more away now, because Ishida has this thing about personal space. And lockers are about as personal as they come here.

"Hey, Yama-chan! I didn't know you were in Vee-sensei's class again!" And I watch with the same fascination one would give an oncoming rhino about to trample someone on the other side of the savanna, as Ishida utterly stops. Just freezes in place. And all I can think is that it was nice while it lasted, because Taichi's about to die. Really, there's not any other alternative. You just do _not_ call someone as bad-ass as Ishida Yamato "Yama-chan." I swear to God that the guy has at least four ways that he knows of to kill someone with just his backpack. His _backpack_! And wow, it's getting warm. It might have to do with the fire of hate that's pouring out from Ishida's eyes.

And I now have it on firm authority that Yagami Taichi is insane. Because instead of doing what anyone _sane_ would do (i.e.: run like all hell away from Impending Doom), he saunters—saunters!—over to Ishida, and places an arm around his shoulders. Remember that thing I said about Ishida and personal space? Yeah, he tried to dislocate some kid's shoulder in class on Friday for just putting a paper in front of his face. The man has serious issues. And wonder of wonders, Ishida's just standing there, glaring at Taichi. No blood, explosions, or broken bones. Huh…maybe I just fell into one of those time-warps, where everything just stops. Nope. Second hand on the clock's still moving—and ah hell, is that really the time? Running across the hall to class now. But not before I hear Ishida tell Taichi to remove his hand if he wants to keep it.

And now I'm kind of scared, you know? Because Taichi doesn't even flinch. He just laughs and tells Ishida to "play nice with all the other boys and girls" before trotting down the hallway. Which brings me to the conclusion that while I have no qualms about admiring his ass as he runs, I really need to do some _serious_ thinking about trying to start a relationship. Because as much as I hate this school, I have no desire to leave it in a body-bag.

* * *

It would figure that the two scariest people here would end up together, wouldn't it? So why do I get feelings of dread watching my sister and Ishida glaring daggers at each other? Yeah, yeah, I know. Glaring daggers doesn't equal true love. With my family, I beg to differ. My parents started dating after my mom threw my dad through a greenhouse window. Yes, it was my mom, no, it wasn't open, and yes, I'm aware that my family is beyond weird. See, Dad kept flicking dirt clods at her—to get her attention, you know?—and Mom had finally had enough, so she picked up my dad and chucked him through the window. Keep in mind that my mom was on the school wrestling team and Dad has always been a consummate bookworm. I guess you could say Dad's plan worked. I mean, Mom did notice him and all. Anyways, she marched over to him afterwards and told him that if he ever flicked dirt at her again, he'd have worse wounds—then kissed him senseless. I think it's where Jun gets it, to be honest. The homicidal tendencies. I think I inherited Dad's masochistic streak.

So yeah. Jun. Ishida. Daggers of eyes. See, apparently Tai thought it would be a good idea to swing by Vee-sensei's class after the bell—and invite Ishida to tag along for lunch. Mimi had joined us, deciding to maul the blond with her pinkness. I did have to smother the laughter at her squeals over the "My Little Pony" decal on his backpack though. Granted, she squeals at anything remotely cute, cuddly, or fluffy, but watching her do that happy dance around Ishida's "touch me and die" persona was the definite highlight of my day. Though I have to give that man points; he didn't flinch from her draping herself all over him, and he answered her questions about where the Pony patch came from (his kid brother has a vicious streak)—without any sort of violence involved. Instead, he treated her with an air of a cat that knows there's just no point in clawing the person pestering it. Said person won't get why, and dealing with the freak-out and tears afterwards is just too much of a pain in the ass.

After the ritual Mauling by Pink was over with—a normal occurrence at lunch, I've discovered—my sister showed up, breathing fire as per normal. Ishida glared at her for invading his space, she glared back in her best "I am woman. I bleed 5 days out of a month and don't die. Dare you to try it." expression. See, I personally fear that expression. But then, Jun knows where I sleep, making her revenge that much easier.

"What the hell is your problem?" And that would be Jun, breaking the lethal silence. And that would be Ishida, flipping her off and walking away. And this would be me, fearing for my life at the other end of the table—mainly because I can't escape without notice at this point.

"Ah, the sweet birds of spring. How I love their mating call…" I'm glancing over at Mimi because, really, that has to be the bravest thing anyone has ever said around my sister.

"As if. I don't know what issues that boy has, but he'd better get over them if we're to coexist peacefully," she snarls back, grabbing her backpack and leaving a wake of frightened and confused students behind her. Not quite at foaming stage yet, though fairly close. I'm impressed. I usually have to work at it a bit to get her that pissed off. Though I kinda wish she hadn't stormed off like that, because now there's this awkward silence that I have no clue how to break. Ah well, have to try anyways.

"So, uh…how 'bout those Americans. I hear they have a chance at the World Cup this year?" Mimi just gives me this blank look, before running off in the direction my sister steamrolled. Tai merely begins banging his head on the cafeteria table. Yeah…I'm really good with awkward.

* * *

I hate gym. I think there is no one else on this planet that hates gym more than I. Which leads me to my current predicament: soccer tryouts. See, I'm actually pretty good at sports, I just hate enforced running around with no purpose other than to be running around. But hey, if you're on a team, your gym reqs go down a bit, so I figured what the hell, maybe I'll try out for soccer. Not to brag or anything, but I'm damn good at it. I'm fast, I'm sharp, and I have a killer instinct for where the ball is and where it should go—besides the obvious.

And all this apparently counts for nothing because Tai is the captain of the soccer team. Which means my bodily coordination? Zero. My thought processes? In the negatives. Oh yeah. I just lost any and all possibility of a position on the third string, much less the starting one. Which really sucks, because I really, _really_ hate gym, and I really don't want to humiliate myself in front of everyone. I mean, it's hard enough being the new kid—and gee, apparently Jun took it to heart that I was going to try out, and decided to come out and jeer her little brother. And oh look! She brought Mimi with her. I should be so blessed. Ah well, might as well get the Absolute Ruin of All Dignity over with.

"All right," I hear Tai begin. "I'm not looking for perfection here. Really. What I _am_ looking for is a good foundation to build off of—not to mention a lot of heart and sheer determination. Soccer isn't an easy sport. It's not all about kicking the ball in a random direction and hoping that it gets there. Soccer is…well, a form of art—" And really, I shouldn't be trying not to laugh. But while I'm good at soccer, and enjoy watching it, I'm no where _near_ as obsessive about it as Tai appears to be. He keeps rambling on about the Perfection which is Soccer, and I'm tuning him out, which really isn't a good sign. But it does have the effect of getting rid of my Tai-stupor. It's really hard to be standing there in a daze when the object of your affections sounds utterly ridiculous. I see him clap his hands, and tell us to line up.

…And now we're going to see if any of us can dribble a ball. Yay. I feel like I'm in "Intro to Computers" all over again. And to think, I get to suffer through about two to three hours of this because of how many people that are trying out. At least Jun seems entertained—though I think she's waiting for me to fall on my face, or ass, whichever provides the best laugh value at the time. My sister is such a supportive soul.

"C'mon, Dai! You'd think you never touched a ball before!" See what I mean? It's a wonder I have any sort of self esteem. Ego? What's this ego you speak of? And wow, half of us have just been weeded out from falling over the ball more than five times. Since I haven't fallen yet, I'm pretty sure I'm safe.

"Next drill is passing the ball back and forth to each other." Gee, Tai, could you make this any easier. Though I guess I'm being a bit harsh. I've had the distinct advantage of playing before, whereas all these other poor saps have only seen a match on TV. And believe me, it's a _lot_ harder than it looks. The person I'm partnered with seems to at least have some rudimentary skills—an encouraging sign. I seem to remember him from before…Oh right! Bucket-hat boy! Whose name appears to be Takeru, if Tai's yelling is anything to go by.

"All for today, guys!" And my savior speaketh! I was getting kinda bored. Make that _really_ bored."We're doing defense and goalie tryouts tomorrow. Stop by and let me know if those positions are what you're trying out for. Lists will be posted the day after that as two who made it. Thank you all for coming out." We all drag our weary carcasses off the field, staggering for the locker room. "Hey, Takeru! Dai! Could you guys come over here?" So much for dragging myself off to home.

"What d'you need, Tai?" Bucket Hat asks, after we both jog over. Tai's got this gleam in his eyes that scares me a bit. It's the fanatical gleam of coaches everywhere who see a possibility at winning a trophy or championship of some sort. While I like knowing that someone views me as an angel sent from the divine, it makes me somewhat weirded out to have it directed at my soccer skills. Yes, I know I have more than your average player, but I'm not nearly on a level to play professionally.

"You both work well together," Tai begins, gleam growing a bit brighter. "I wanted to let you guys know that as of now, you'll both be starting forwards." See this? This is me having a case of dread. I mean, I'm usually a forward—my short size and good speed are good for more than just weaving through crowds. But I'm usually second string, not starting…which makes me wonder at the lack of talent at this school in reality. I glance over at Blondie and notice that his expression is eerily similar to mine.

"You sure, Tai?" he asks tentatively, looking distinctly interested in the ground. "I mean, I've only been a midfielder for a while now, and I'm not that fast, and—" Dayam, that kid can go on. And he looks like he's about to have a panic attack right now.

"Takeru…Takeru!" Tai's trying to interrupt the non-stop diatribe coming from Sir Panic. "Yama-chan said he'd been coaching you this summer on forward. Besides, you know that you were only put in midfield originally because we had three strong forwards." No way! Bucket Hat is the prankster that got the My Little Pony patch onto Ishida's backpack?! He so doesn't look the type! I mean, looking at him, he comes across as this really uptight, yuppy kid. The kind that dresses in khakis and polo shirts in their off time, you know? I do believe my whole world order has just been tilted on its end slightly. But he at least appears to be calming down.

"Takeru! Tai, quit scaring my boyfriend!" And since that voice is definitely female, I would say we have a newcomer to this little soccer pow-wow. She's cute actually. Very cute. If I, you know, had any kind of appreciation for girl parts I might even consider asking her out.

"Aw, 'Kari! I wasn't gonna hurt him!" Tai protests, looking very not innocent. "Kari" merely snorts and glowers at him. And wow they look similar when they do that. "Besides, this gives you a chance to meet the other half of the duo that I believe will allow us to beat St. Charles Prep this year." I glance at him, startled. No pressure here. Nope. Nada. Uh huh. Right.

"You say that every year, Tai," she replies, rolling her eyes at him. See? That makes me feel better. She reaffirmed the fact that Tai is, in fact, utterly delusional and possibly a bit obsessive. She turns to me and bows a little. "Yagami Hikari," she states, a bright smile on her face. "Most everyone here calls me "Kari." You can or not as you choose." I like this girl. She's refreshingly not like most girly girls I know. It's like having Jun Lite around.

"Motomiya Daisuke," I reply, bowing back. I decide to turn on the charm a bit and give one of what has been dubbed as my "trap" smiles. My friend Ken described them like this:

"Daisuke," Ken is real formal and always calls me Daisuke. "You have this knack of making girls think you want to be more than friends without even trying. That one smile of yours tends to be rather…flirtatious, thus fooling most of the females you use it on that you're not interested."

"Takaishi Takeru," Bucket Hat breaks in, his tone rather curt. Look, dude, I'm totally not wanting your girl. She really is all yours. It comes down that "girl parts thing." And the whole "Tai thing." And wait a sec. Did she say "Yagami?"

"You're related to Tai?" And really, that has to be one of the most _moronic_ questions I've ever asked—and I've asked some doozies believe me. At least she's only giggling. Though that must not be a good thing from the glares I'm getting from Takimi and, surprisingly enough, Tai.

"I'm his sister. The younger and smarter version," she says, grinning. I think she notices my somewhat leery expression, because next thing I know, she's yelling at the other two for scaring away anyone of the opposite sex that talks to her. "Trust me to make my own decisions on who I will and won't talk to, dammit!" Both of them look like they've been caught with their proverbial hands in the equally proverbial cookie-jar. I think I'm in love.

…You know, in that platonic way of course. 'Cause girl parts? Ew!

* * *

All for that chapter! Hope you guys liked the introduction of the new players in this game. Hope to see you soon!

~Rosethorn

**Thank You's:**

**Sora Blade707:** Thank you! I'm glad that you like the story so far. The running commentary is what keeps me sane in this story, I think *grin*

**KoumiLoccness:** Thank you for responding to the fic. As I stated in the AN at the beginning of the fic, this is an _AU_. AU means "Alternate Universe." As in, play around with things and make them work how you want them. So while I understand your confusion on the ages, it's a different 'verse from the original Digimon canon.

**Juice in the Box:** Thank you!! I wanted to approach Daisuke in a new way. I've seen people make him out to be utterly clueless and stupid, not really exploring the depth that you can play with. I hope that more people step up to the plate and write this pairing. I only have been able to find one or two fics for it, and it's rather sad. (Thanks for the note on the possible troll.)

**FanKnight:** Thank you! I've managed an update, and no begging was required.

**Summer Memory:** Thank you!! I'm glad the sarcasm is still funny to read. I hate it when people make guys "wooby," as I've heard it described. I also hate it when they do that to strong female leads, but…that's another story all together. Thanks for the concern over Mimi's comments. "Inspired" is a valid usage, but I know that it's not used often.

**whangel: **Thank you! You got more. You even got a dedication. So there. If you could point out some of the errors you saw the next time we talk so that I could fix them…

**TheGreenSquiggly:** Thank you!! I'm glad you read it and liked it. Yep, it's an old series that needs more writers—preferably good ones.


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